Clemson NFL Draft Notes

*Clemson safeties Chris Clemons and Michael Hamlin were drafted on consecutive picks in the fifth round this year, as Clemons was taken with the 165th pick by Miami, and Hamlin was the 166th pick by Dallas. This marked the first time in history two Clemson players were taken with consecutive draft choices. The previous closest took place in the 1991 draft when Doug Thomas was taken as the 51st selection by the Seattle Seahawks and John Johnson was the 53rd pick by the San Francisco 49ers.

*Clemson had both of its starting safeties drafted in the fifth round on Sunday. This is the first time two players from the same position have been taken in the same draft since the 1999 draft when Clemson had three linebackers taken. Those three players in 1999 were Rahim Abdullah, Chris Jones and O.J. Childress.

*Getting drafted has been a good sign for Clemson players when it comes to making an NFL club. Over the last nine years 18 of the 19 Clemson players that have been drafted have gone on to play in the NFL. Over the last 24 years 72 of 86 drafted players from Clemson have gone on to play at least one game in the NFL.

*Clemson had three defensive players taken in the 2009 draft. That means 16 Clemson defensive players have been drafted over the last nine years.

*Clemson had four players selected in this year’s draft, the second most selections in one year in the last 10 seasons. The only year with more Tigers taken since the beginning of this century was in 2007 when five Clemson players were selected. The record is 10 in the 1983 draft.

Clemson player notes

*Dorell Scott was the first Clemson player taken in the 2009 draft. He was a fourth round pick of the St. Louis Rams, the 103rd player taken in the draft. He was the third player taken by the Rams in the last four years. Tye Hill was a first round pick by that franchise in the 2006 draft and Dustin Fry was a fifth rounder by the organization in the 2007 draft. Scott’s selection marked the fourth straight year a Clemson defensive lineman was drafted. Charles Bennett was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2006, Gaines Adams by Tampa Bay in 2007 and Phillip Merling was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 2008.

*Chris Clemons was taken in the fifth round by the Miami Dolphins, the 165th player taken. It marks the second straight year a Clemson player was taken by the Dolphins. Miami took Phillip Merling with the first pick of the second round last year.

*Michael Hamlin was taken in the fifth round by the Dallas Cowboys, the 166th player taken. Hamlin is the first Clemson player taken by the Dallas Cowboys since Keith Jennings was a fifth round pick in 1989. He is the first Clemson defensive back drafted by the Cowboys since Charlie Waters was a third round pick by that franchise in 1970. Waters went on to a Pro Bowl career with the Cowboys.

*James Davis was taken in the sixth round by the Cleveland Browns, the 195th selection in the NFL draft. He is the first Clemson player taken by the Browns since Rahim Abdullah was drafted in the second round in 1999. He is the first Clemson running back drafted by the Browns since Kevin Mack was a first round selection by the Browns in the USFL Supplemental Draft of 1985. Mack went on to be named to the Pro Bowl with the Browns. He combined with Ernest Bynar to become one of just three running back combinations in NFL history to each rush for over 1,000 yards in the same season.